.jpg)
Obviously lots of fragrances hail from France anyway, so a big chunk of the blog is paying homage to French style, but let's collect some of my various articles for ease; click the highlighted links to get there.
 |
| Gainsbourg and Birkin by Reg Lancaster, Paris 1969 via |
French women (Parisian women in particular and baptized Parisians, since it's not technically ethnicity which accounts for it) are known for their savvy style which looks effortless, but isn't really (grooming and attention to detail go a long way).
My slideshow of 4 Secrets of French Women and Their Perfume has already become an internet classic, but I have also written a concise Perfume Application Guide the French Way.
I have also recently composed a brief history of the house of Christian Dior and highlighted/reviewed 4 Dior fragrances which are worthy of investigation.
For Perfume Shrine aficionados there's also:
The Culture Wars: American vs. French,
Scent in Literature, a series of articles highlighting excerpts from novels and poetry, often French, which elaborate on the fascination of scent and smell,
Easy & Quick Paris Perfume Shopping Guide
"French Style" Perfume: Connotations & Meanings
Best sellers in fragrance in France for 2009, for 2010, for 2011, for 2012, for 2014.
And since Bastille Day incidentally recalls De Sade as well, there's also BDSM and Scents, a series of rather tantalizing posts with lots of perfume suggestions.
Happy July 14th to all Francophiles!
Thanks for collecting these together. I find some of the ideas interesting & there are some amusing things to play with there. I sometimes think the match your perfume to your style (for the day, at any rate - long term commitment to a single sent would be scary) nice but just a little bland - to dress simply or casually & then add Mitsouko or Sarassins can be amusing - or pale pink/white with a more decadently leather or animalic. People always assume things about each other based on clothes, so to then provide a reversal in scent...
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteI find your idea of clashing images-scents a most interesting one and one I personally like to follow. An ultra feminine outfit with something masculine smelling, a very joyful print with a contemplative scent to juxtapose...makes for interesting conversation too!
It's true that people assume by image. Very much so! So it's an added piece to the puzzle to provide them with another stimulus that doesn't quite "fit".
Thanks as always for the intelligent comment!
I too mismatch clothes and perfume a lot, but not for reversal sake. It seems I dress for the others, but perfume for myself. My clothes have to be appropriate to the age, occasion etc. but I can afford to choose perfume according to most inner and capricious and secret (even from myself) reasons. Well, most of my perfumes are not long distance projectiles, so they stay with me as passing thoughts, not bothering to others. But sometimes there were people stepping back from me in the tube - Piguet"s Oud smells of a hunting, game and woods - while I was dressed formally, neat crisp black and white.
ReplyDeleteThat too!! (And isn't it a relief that even when we have to conform we can also non-conform via our scent? The liberty granted us by our most personal accessory, fragrance).
DeleteI need to try that Piguet's Oud. I like Piguet fragrances as a rule. Sounds intriguing! Thanks :-)
I am wearing "What we do in Paris is Secret" today :)
ReplyDeleteAnd that's simply beautiful! Enjoy!!
Delete